Code Geass: An Unexpected Turn
by Xenika
Summary: After cursing Princess Euphemia to kill all the Japanese, Lelouch is now tasked with finding a way to save her from the order he accidentally issued.
1. Act 1 - Unexpected Ally

**Code Geass: Unexpected Turns**

* * *

 **Act I – Unexpected Ally**

Princess Euphemia had proposed an idea which would allow the Japanese to retain their rights within the Special Administrative Zone. Many people have attended the event, mostly former Japanese citizens who wish to reclaim the rights that they once had.

However, it is unknown how this event will unfold with the sudden bold appearance of Zero in the Gawain Knightmare. Will Zero join Euphemia to help build this exclusive zone or will he use it against Britannia and bend the will of the Japanese people to suit his own ideals.

 ** _Mobile Base G1, SAZ – Command Centre_**

Lelouch's plans have failed, there's no way he could make his half-sister kill him and take on the hatred of the Japanese people. After all, they both shared the same ideals. Lelouch thought it was a ruse set up by his older brother Schneizel to force Zero and the black knights into a corner and weaken the faith the Japanese have in the black knights.

Lelouch, however, believed in his younger half-sister, if she planned to abandon her royalty and say she wanted to live a happy life than he… no, he could never make his Euphy do this to him. "Heh… you win, you really are the worst enemy I've ever faced…" Lelouch joked, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to help her in her plans, after all, there's plenty of ways on destroying Britannia from the inside out.

She felt overjoyed, a warm smile came over her as she celebrated a little. "Really? Thank goodness and do you think I'd shoot you just because you asked me to?" she joked, giggling and making Lelouch laughed a little too.

"No, it's not that, if I want people to do what I tell them to do, well… all I have to do is ask." He explained. It wouldn't be wrong to tell her about the geass that CC gave him, she deserved to know that much, after all, he trusted her with his identity as Zero and till this day she had never told anyone. "I could tell you do shoot me, dismiss Suzaku and you wouldn't hesitate to do so."

"Oh? Now that's just silly. There's no way." She laughed.

All this time he had been averting eye contact, but as he looked at her, she seemed happy to know that Lelouch was now on her side. "I'm serious, like for example if I told you to kill all the Japanese it wouldn't matter how you felt abo- Hey!" something was wrong, those eyes, the orange rings around them, could it be…?

"No… No!"

 ** _Elsewhere, heading towards G1 Mobile Base – Knightmare cockpit_**

Cornelia was on her way towards where Euphemia and Zero were having their meeting, she had learned that the two wanted to meet in the G1 Mobile base and that she would end this now. Kill Zero and eventually the problematic Black Knights will fall apart with his death.

"That foolish girl, Guilford, what's your ETA?" she asked, as she hurried through the streets, causing minor traffic incidents as she did.

"Converging on the area in five minutes your highness." He replied.

It looks like she would have Zero all to herself if she gets there; first, they had the element of surprise and Zero won't expect them this time. "Acknowledged." She replied. _'finally, I get to kill this masked freak, which has been causing all this commotion. With this done, Euphie will be safe.'_

 ** _Outside Mobile base G1 – Entrance_**

"Don't touch me!" CC snapped, but as she said that the doors to the Mobile Base suddenly open with princess Euphemia running out with a gun followed by Zero chasings after her. Noticing this Suzaku ignored CC and raced to his master's side.

The two remaining guards grabbed CC in an attempt to restrain her but thus were knocked unconscious upon contact. Zero, however, looked at the remaining guard and ordered him to stand aside, but his gaze laid upon CC who was getting up off the floor.

Grabbing the green haired girl by the shoulders and slamming her into the feet of the Gawain, he shouted at her. "HOW DO I FIX IT!? How do I revoke the command!? Tell me!" he pleaded as much as he sounded desperate.

"Simple, the target must fulfill the command or die." She replied calmly.

"Don't fuck with me!" he yelled as he pushed CC aside.

The princess was making her way to the podium, but then Suzaku showed up obstructing her. "I must kill all the Japanese! Who dares stand in the way of Princess Euphemia li Britannia?" She questioned.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? What are you saying?" he asked as he grabbed on to her arm she was holding a gun in.

Pushing him back a little, she raised her gun to face Suzaku instead. "Anyone who gets in my way to kill all the Japanese will be punished!" she stated, then she realized. "Wait… you're Japanese, aren't you?" she asked, as she raised the gun in line with his heart.

"Stop this… this isn't you!" he replied, unsure of what to do. Then the voice echoed in his head, ' _Live!'_ the voice told him. Immediately he disarmed Euphemia of her weapon and quickly followed up by pointing the gun at her. ' _No… No… Don't… NO!'_

Unable to resist the command of geass, he slowly pulled the trigger on the woman he loved and swore to protect. Echoes of the sound of the weapon could be heard through the stadium.

"Suzaku… Why…?" she muttered.

In the Gawain, Lelouch expression went blank. "NOO EUPHY!" he cried as he saw his half-sister drop to her knees. ' _I did this… I murdered the girl I first loved for the first time… Euphy… no, I must… I must save her!"_

He saw a knightmare off in the distance, completely frozen, he knew who it was. It was princess Cornelia, Euphemia's older sister. "CC pick up Euphy and head for base… NOW!" he ordered, CC sighed in response and grabbed the princess's body with the arms of the knightmare.

"Suzaku… you... HOW DARE YOU!" she shouted as she charged towards Suzaku, but then she saw the Gawain leave with Zero aboard. "Coward, traitor, murderer!" she said in quick secession as she charged through the parked vehicles in the way.

 ** _Outskirts of SAZ – Hill Top_**

Kallen noticed something was heading towards where they're positioned. "Isn't that the Gawain?" Kallen asked as she saw a knightmare come into view then flew past them with tremendous speed.

Ougi didn't know what to say, why was Zero leaving all the sudden, what about the mission and the special administrative zone? "I don't know, Kallen, try to get Zero on the line." He ordered.

Kallen was already trying, but he didn't reply or respond. "I'm trying! Zero what's happening?" looking over to the stadium she saw a large number of knightmares being deployed on-site via the air. "Zero respond!"

"Mission is canceled. Return to base immediately, I repeat the mission is called off." He replied in a teary voice which Kallen noticed.

"Wait, what happened sir?" she asked.

He paused for a moment before he replied. "The mission is canceled, return to evac point B2 immediately." Before he cut the communications from his end.

"Kallen, what happened? What did Zero say?" Ougi asked, confused.

Sighing a little, she relayed his message. "We're aborting, he says return to B2 for evacuation immediately, we should go." She explained.

Tamaki was annoyed by the sudden cancelation of their mission, why were they retreating all the unexpected? "Huh? Why now of all times, that guy man, I swear!" he cussed.

"We're returning, everyone let's go," Ougi confirmed.

"Wait we're seriously leaving?" Tamaki said in confusion, he thought that Ougi would be opposed to leaving without a real explanation.

"We're leaving Tamaki." Commander Ougi clarified.

 ** _Mobile Base G1 – Command Centre_**

A loud thud could be heard as Suzaku was thrown against the wall by Cornelia and Guilford. He was also kicked across the face by the enraged princess. "Out of all the people, I never thought it would be you Suzaku. She convinced me that you're a good person, a changed eleven and what do you do…" she said as she stomped on his arm, making him cry out in pain a little.

Gasping out of the pain he needed to defend himself because he knew he was innocent. "I didn't do anything…" the former knight of honor stated as he coughed up blood by his rough handling.

That statement made the witch of Britannia more enraged, he shot her little sister before her, and now he's claiming he's innocent? "Quit lying you arrogant bastard, I watched you myself!" She shouted.

"There's no way I'd… kill her... this must be some kind of mistake…" Suzaku cried as he felt Cornelia stomp on his left hand, he honestly had no memory of shooting the sub-viceroy.

Guilford activated the display units and played a video. "Major Kururugi, how do you explain this?" he forced Suzaku to watch as he pulled the trigger on the princess he swore to protect. So, it's true, he did kill her, he really did betray her.

"I… I… have nothing to say." He stated as he accepted his fate.

"Not only that, but you also allowed for Zero to escape. Are you proud of yourself? I'm sure your father would ask why you murdered him too." Guilford went on. Suzaku knew he was right, he murdered his father and now Euphy. "Do you have nothing to say about yourself?" he asked.

"I have nothing to say." He repeated, accepting that he would be either killed here or publicly executed.

"I'd kill you right here, but instead you will be trialed and executed for everyone to see. I'll kill you myself, in honor of Princess Euphemia li Britannia. I hope you enjoy what time you have left you bastard." Cornelia promised in a deep scornful voice.

"I'm sorry Euphy… I've done the unthinkable…" he muttered to himself as he endured more of the personnel around him beating him into oblivion.

 ** _Outer Sea of Area 11 – Gawain_**

Lelouch cradled Euphemia in his arms and tried his best to try to keep her awake. She was barely awake as it is, due to the excessive blood loss from the gunshot wound. The prince tried his best to dress up the wound to stop more blood lost but she needed medical attention immediately, luckily at the base, there was an advanced medical facility.

"Euphy, please stay with me, don't give up, we're almost there!" Lelouch informed, they were flying for about ten minutes, they should be arriving soon.

She smiled as she looked up into Lelouch's eyes. "You know… ever since I was a little girl… I never thought you'd carry me like this…" she joked.

He smiled, although it was a bit embarrassing for him too as it was his half-sister after all. "We were kids back then, weren't we? Hey CC how much longer?" he asked.

"Three to five minutes. Lelouch… are you sure that this is a good idea?" CC asked she was wondering if bringing a Britannian princess to the base would be a good idea, considering they were enemies.

"I'm sure Rakshata and the others will save Euphy if I ask them to do so." He stated, he was their leader after all, and Zero could use geass if he had to too. Plus soon he knew Suzaku would be publicly announced as Euphemia's murderer and thus it will draw the hatred of both Britannians and the Japanese alike.

"Why… did… Suzaku… Japanese… I… must… no… I don't want to…" the princess muttered, she was confused to why she must kill all the Japanese and why her knight of honor shot her.

"I caused this Euphy, Suzaku would never do such a thing, don't worry I'll save both of you… I have to." He assured.

"Will… you really… Lelouch?" she took her half-brother's hand and held it intently.

"I promise… I promise I'll never leave you Euphy." He repeated, gripping her hand slightly.

Smiling upon hearing his promise, she looked up to the sky, the sky was so blue now that they were far from the land. "Lelouch… I'm no longer royalty… I'm sure they will announce my death soon… I don't know if I can return… I'm-owe… I'm sorry I couldn't keep our… promise on rebuilding… japan…" as she said the last word orange rings started to appear on her eyes.

Lelouch noticed this, ' _Could it be that the effect is dying and only activating when anyone mentions the word Japan? Maybe I can save her then… I have an idea on how to do that.'_ "Euphy, we can still rebuild Japan." He added in.

"Japan… I… Can we still do such a thing…? I'm no longer royalty Lelouch, it's impossible." The former princess explained, she sacrificed her position for the SAZ act, but now it's never going to happen. "Lelouch… save… Suzaku for me… please…" she requested, she sounded weak, it pained Lelouch's heart to see her like this.

"Yeah, I promise. After all, I'm Suzaku's best friend." He answered, forcing a smile upon himself. Though deep down in his heart he was yelling at himself, it was his fault that this all started in the first place. Nunnally… Euphy… now Suzaku, she was right. He had to save them all, plus he was never one to break promises.

"I'm glad…"

"Lelouch we're approaching, medical staff are on stand by and ready. Commencing landing sequence." CC informed this was, however, to be intriguing to her though. How will the black knights react when they see the princess of Britannia in the medical facility, will it cause a falling out with the core members? Or will Lelouch use it to wage war upon Britannia, no matter the outcome, CC merely thinks it's exciting.

 ** _The Special Administrative Zone – Podium_**

The confusion was on the minds of many attendees of the event. The first sounds of gunfire were nearly fifteen minutes ago, and there was no sign of Princess Euphemia who was supposed to be hosting the event. But finally, someone came to the stage and explained the situation.

It was princess Cornelia and her subordinate Guilford. ' _it would be best to cancel the event, we have more problems to worry about, those damn fools… Euphy…'_ Cornelia thought as she took the stage. "In the name of Cornelia Li Britannia, I hear by concluding the passing of the Special Administrative Zone." With that said she turned to leave, without giving any real reason.

All she could hear was the uproar of angry attendees, they probably were annoyed at the lack of an explanation, but all of Britannia will soon learn. "We're leaving Guilford, I believe a royal meeting is in order, to discuss the passing of my sister… still, I can't believe we lost her body." She cussed, she was obviously annoyed that she lost herself in rage and missed what happened to her sister's body. "Order the royal guard to search for her." She requested as she walked alongside him.

"At once, your highness."

 ** _Black Knights Main Base of Operations - Medical Labs_**

Two hours went past, but to Lelouch, it felt like an eternity, the medical staff first questioned why he wanted to save a princess of the enemy, but they never asked his authority and went to work diligently. "What do I do… she either has to for fill her requested command or die…? I refuse to accept that… does that mean, I don't know but… it's worth trying." Having enough of talking to himself, he got up out of the waiting chair and entered the operation room.

The staff were surprised that he walked in so suddenly, Euphemia was still under anesthesia, so she was asleep. "Zero, the operation is still ago, what do you need sir?" the lead surgeon asked.

"Is it possible to create some kind of artificial cardiac arrest? Even if it's for a moment, then revive the person?" he asked.

"You mean… you want to stop her heart… then revive her? You do realize there's a good chance she will die correct? Especially in this state, she's too weak, and she's lost a lot of blood too!" she explained, she was right though, doing this may get her killed in the process.

Thinking about the chances though, he remembered doing medical studies on this, the person is legally dead for a few minutes, but their consciousness is still alive to the artificial blood flow assisted by a machine. No this was too risky, and he didn't know if it would work. "Damn, alright just… patch her up, forget I said anything." Lelouch said as he sighed in defeat.

On his way out, he saw CC waiting for him. "You know… there's a way to save her, although it's temporary it still cancels out the effects of Geass…"CC informed.

"Really? Explain how?" he was now interested, he felt a positive energy and hope inside to the new proposal.

"A kiss from me should cancel it out for some time, but it will come back, it's repeatable but… you do understand it may make her mental state unstable after too many times." She explained, sighing a little. "Hm… now that I think about it, I believe that guy called um… Bartley Asprius may know a way on how to cancel it out permanently, however getting his help may prove a little problematic." CC went on.

"What do you mean?"

"He's the leader of some kind of research group focused on Geass. I remember he was talking about a Geass canceller tech, something like that." This was all new information to Lelouch if she knew this much why did she keep it all to herself? It kind of infuriated Lelouch but he couldn't complain much.

"Why… did you not tell me about this earlier…?" Asked Lelouch, clearly a bit annoyed.

CC shrugged, it all came to her head and he never really asked, so she didn't see why she had to explain it. "I kind of forgot about it, plus you never really asked."

"I want you to tell me everything you know about this later…" he said, now thinking of his next move, maybe capturing Bartley is his only option, but first he needed to save Suzaku. He'd most likely have a trial for shooting the sub viceroy, perhaps he could use Euphemia to save Suzaku and bring him onto the Black Knights. "Ugh… this isn't what I planned…" Lelouch muttered to himself.

 ** _Two Hours later, Black Knights Main Base of Operations – Meeting Room_**

The team had just gotten back from their operation in the Mt. Fuji, all of them were dying for answers and an explanation on what happened. Tohdoh and his subordinates had questions on their mind too because earlier they were denied access into the medical wing.

"Zero if you don't mind us asking, why are the medical labs off limits now? Is there something in there we need to know of?" Asahina asked, curious to know as of why.

"That area is temporary off limits for the day, the reasons are classified." Zero stated.

"Classified? Well then I see…" he added on, not sure what to think. They were used to Zero keeping secrets here and there, like his identity for example.

Kallen had questions too, her concerns were on the sudden cancellation of their mission from before. They had wasted a lot of resources on getting back, the black knights were limited on Sakuradite energy fillers. They would have to rebase for more dock and resupplies soon.

"Zero, I believe we all deserve to know why we had to cancel the operation all the sudden, would you tell us the reason?" Kallen looked like she was anticipating what Zero had to say, plus from what she heard before, he sounded like he was in emotional distress.

"As you all know, Euphemia was planning on creating the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. However, as my negotiations ended with her, she was nearly assassinated." He explained.

"Assassinated? By who, you?" Ougi assumed.

Zero turned the monitor on in the room and switched channels to a public Britannian channel. "No… By someone else…" Zero went on, however, was silent to the sudden announcement by the royal palace.

 _'Breaking news coming from Pendragon, with a shocking announcement by Princess Cornelia in Area Eleven._

 _"People of Britannia, I bare sad news. Princess Euphemia Li Britannia, the sub-viceroy of Area Eleven, was earlier today has been assassinated during the ceremony for the Special Administrative Zone of Japan."_

Everyone in the room watched as Cornelia went on and on. However, eventually, they announced the culprit behind it all. To Lelouch's expectation, no one expected it would be…

"Suzaku…? Why would he do this…?" Kallen gasped.

"Not only his father, now the woman he swore to protect?" Tohdoh muttered to himself, thinking to the past. It honestly felt ironic in a way.

Kallen had no idea why or what drove Suzaku to do such a thing, he swore by an oath that he would never bring harm to the princess he swore to protect, so why? _'So, is this why the operation was called off?'_ Kallen thought, however, it doesn't matter anymore, what matters is what comes next. "So, what's do we do now Zero?"

"Rest up, I will call upon a meeting discussing our next plan of attack, till then everyone. Rest up." Lelouch ordered, he wanted to check on his half-sister and how she was doing. He'd hope what CC told him was right, that she could suspend the effects of Geass till he could find a safe, permanent solution. Turning to conclude the meeting seeing as there weren't any further questions being asked, he headed for the medical labs.

 ** _Black Knights Main Base of Operations - Medical Labs_**

"How is she doing?" Lelouch asked, hoping to hear good news.

The older woman smiled as she compiled her report. "She'll make a full recovery; however, upper stomach region is still inflamed due to where the bullet went through, but she will recover eventually, so she should take it easy for a while." She was making a checklist as she explained.

"I see, good work." Lelouch complimented as he made his way over to her.

"It wasn't a big deal, I'm a doctor after all. Hm... I got some work to do with Rakshata, so I'll be leaving, call me if anything unexpected happens!" The woman said, however as she exited, CC decided to see how things were going.

Walking into the room CC saw Lelouch sitting beside his younger sister. "I see, so it means that she will make a full recovery," CC said as she walked over by the bed.

"I'm glad she'll be okay. So, do you want to do that thing we talked about earlier? She's asleep so does that matter?" Lelouch asked.

CC shook her head. "No, it doesn't matter." Holding her hair aside, CC knelt beside Euphemia and kissed her on the lips, which unexpectedly sparked an instant reaction from the pink haired girl.

"Wha-!" the princess yelped in surprised. CC held her forehead, as when she woke her up, Euphy accidentally head-butted her in the forehead. "Where am I…? Lelouch…? Owe…" she spoke.

"Euphy!" Lelouch replied as he was overjoyed to hear her voice again.

Looking over to Lelouch, she smiled as she saw him with his mask off. Tears of joy forming under his eyes. "This is the first time I've seen you cry, Lelouch… What happened? How did it go? Are the Japanese people happy?" she asked.

"Sadly, it was called off. But I'm glad you're safe." Euphy looked away slightly as she blushed a little at his comment. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing that she looked away and averted eye contact.

"Do I really mean that much to you…?" she asked causing CC smirked a little to the sight before her.

"Of course, you're my sister after all, plus I promised that I'd save you and I never go back on my promises." Lelouch reminded, however, Euphemia looked kind of disappointed. "Huh… you look… disappointed."

"No… I'm not disappointed at all… but I have no one to go back to, half the world thinks I'm dead by now. Lelouch what do I do?" she asked.

He remained silent for a moment, he needed to tell her the curse he gave her. How he'd help her and what she could do, he just hoped that she would accept his offer. "Euphy, there's something I have to tell you, something awful I have done to you. During our meeting, I accidentally cast geass on you, but I will save you, I will find a way to get rid of it, and I swear I will save Suzaku too." He explained.

"Geass? Hold on, is Suzaku in trouble?" she asked, sounding worried.

"You don't remember? Well, he's the reason why you're in bandages right now. He shot you, but don't blame him, blame me. I'm the one responsible after all." Lelouch explained. "And I'm sorry… I never thought it would turn out like-" Lelouch was interrupted by Euphemia as she had something to say.

"Don't blame yourself, accidents happen and there's no way I'd hate you. I love you after all, and you said you would make things right, so let's do so together okay?" Those words made Lelouch's heart ache a little.

"I'm despicable, I've used people… lied many times and even murdered my own blood… now-"

Euphemia grabbed onto Lelouch's hand and shook her head. "No Lelouch, now you're trying to make the world a better place correct? I want that wish to come true too, I want all of us to be together, Nunnally, You, Suzaku and I to be happy. That's the world I long for Lelouch."

"Yeah… I want that kind of world too. But our father would just rip us apart again." Lelouch muttered angrily. Then an idea popped in his head, why not have…

"Lelouch?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Now that I think about it… who is this girl? Is she someone close to you?" the princess asked curiously.

Looking over to CC, he tried his best to introduce CC to her. "Oh, her? Her name is CC, she's the one who gave me the power of Geass and… well… she's immortal." He explained, hoping it wouldn't spark any more questions.

"Immortal? Like she can't die?" the pink haired girl repeated, confused.

"Just trust me, she's immortal. Now getting back to the point you're on the black knight's mobile base. We have an advanced medical lab here to treat our critically wounded, and that's how we saved you. Also, I have a proposal for you." Lelouch added in.

"Huh…?"

"Would you join me in my quest to free the world from the corrupt hands of Britannia? To help me save Suzaku and to help build a gentler world for all of us be happier in?" Lelouch suggested.

Euphemia paused for a moment to think about it. She couldn't go back home, and she's no longer royalty since she abandoned her claim on the throne. Then there's a promise for a gentler world, it's what she wanted from the beginning. "But I can't fight… I'm not good at commanding an army… I can't do any of those…"

"None sense, there's a place for you here in the Black Knights, I know of one." Lelouch had the perfect idea for her, she could act as a diplomat or something which doesn't involve combat.

"Very well then, I accept." She said with confidence.

Lelouch smiled and laughed inside a little. "Glad to have you, plain little Euphy." He joked, causing the two to laugh a little.

"Euphy do you think you'd be able to move? I'd like to deal with this sooner than later… because time isn't really on our side." He explained.

Flexing her feet and arms a little, she moved her arms in response to check if there were any pain. There was none, but it only hurt if she moved her upper torso area around, like bend down. "I think I should be fine, it doesn't hurt all that bad…" she informed.

"Good, get up, your clothes are on the table there, I'll be outside with CC when you're ready," Lelouch said as he pointed at her old clothing which has been mended and fixed laying atop a bench.

"Okay."

Walking out of the room CC followed by his side as he slipped his helmet back on. However, she had a few things to say about what had happened. "You really know how to win a girl's heart over, don't you Lelouch?" She complimented.

Looking at CC confused he merely raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?" He asked not sure if what to think.

"You really are quite dense aren't you…" CC added, sighing a little.

 ** _Black Knights Main Base of Operations – Meeting Room_**

Tamaki and the other black knights were still talking about what had happened on the news today, and it looks like they were watching the news about Euphemia's death.

"Like I said- Huh?" Tamaki sputtered as he saw Zero enter the room alongside CC.

"My fellow Black Knights, today I would like to introduce a new member to join our cause," Zero announced, catching everyone's attention. Kallen looked to be the most confused, she wondered why they would be getting a new member, especially now of all times.

"No way…" Tamaki sputtered, flabbergasted. Everyone else was shocked and speechless.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** honestly I was never planning on releasing this story, but this is my first story other than RWBY. Tell me what you think, do you think the idea is exciting and if there's anything I misspelled. I tried my best on this story, and I hope it's received positively.


	2. Act II - The Calm Before the storm

**Act II – The Calm before the storm...**

* * *

"N-no way!" Tamaki shouted, wholly flabbergasted and shocked. The person who stood before him was the same woman whom he thought was assassinated a few hours ago. The room itself went quiet as all eyes laid on Princess Euphemia.

"P-princess Euphemia? What…?" Kallen sputtered, unsure on what to think.

The princess waved her hand at everyone and tried her best to smile. "H-Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you all!" she greeted awkwardly, causing Lelouch to crack up a little.

However, his short laugh was short lived. He sensed everyone looking at him for an explanation. "Zero, with respect, what exactly is the meaning of this?" Ougi asked, sounding outraged by his proposal. To Ougi, working with a Britannian reporter was hard enough, but now he had to work with a royal princess from the enemy? It sounded unreasonable.

That was on Tamaki's mind too. "Yeah, tell us Zero!" he shouted, backing up the commander while adding fuel to the fire.

Zero expected this would happen, but he was hoping he wouldn't have to give them a reason. Plus, the current situation needed order in the room; if things kept this way, then all hell would break out. "That's enough everyone. Princess Euphemia is needed for our next goal; we wish to free Tokyo and make it into a nation itself. But first we have to defeat Princess Cornelia, and with Euphemia's help it'll be possible and a lot easier." He explained, it a few of the knights silent, but Tohdoh had a few things to say.

"Zero with all respect, isn't it unnecessary to work with royal blood from Britannia? Explain your reasoning behind this decision and how do we know she's on our side?" Tohdoh asked, hoping he would get a clear and honest answer from the masked hero.

He had planned to use Euphemia to weaken Britannian morale especially Cornelia's which is one of his main objectives. Suzaku comes with that too, with him out of the way it will clear the threat of the Lancelot to all future operations. "Princess Cornelia will be unwilling to fight against her sister; it will bring down the morale of Britannia and will help convince Suzaku to defect from Britannia, we could capture the Lancelot too as a bonus." Zero explained, hoping it was enough to convince them all.

The man nodded; he liked the idea of using psychological warfare against them. Abuse their faith in their loved ones thus rendering them useless in battle, a classic form of war. "I see, an interesting idea, very well I do not oppose the idea." He declared it's an excellent tactical advantage in his mind.

"Yes, that does make sense, I like the idea Zero, even though it may seem a bit… unethical." Ougi added, seemingly agreeing with it too.

Lelouch wasn't going to complain there, of course, it's unethical; he's essentially using Euphemia to defeat Cornelia. However, all he wanted was answers about his mother. "Yes, Euphemia here holds the key to our victory against Britannia; however, this is merely the beginning. Soon the whole of Britannia will recognize the might of the Black Knights!" Zero cheered.

Everyone in the room was clapping and welcoming their new member; somehow Zero had convinced to allow Euphemia to join their ranks. Kallen thought about what had occurred earlier. However, Euphemia was shot, and all she could assume was that Zero was rushing Euphemia to the base for medical attention. Could it be why he sounded like he was about to cry on the radio before? Just who is Euphemia to him? What was his relationship with her? Kallen didn't know what to think, but it was clear that Zero favored Euphemia in a way. 'I'll keep this to myself, but I know Zero isn't one to care if he loses allies, why does he care about her so much? I may investigate this further...' Kallen thought as she clapped alongside her comrades.

Remembering that Euphemia wasn't in the best conditions as of right now, he thought of what he'd do about her accommodation. Making her stay with the rest of the Black knights would seem unreasonable due to her condition and the curse he gave her may come back at any moment without notice.

Sighing to himself, he'd guess he had no choice. Euphemia would have to stay with CC and himself for now, just till he could figure something out for her.

He stayed in the room with the other black knights as they were introducing themselves to Euphemia; after all, he was responsible for her condition in the first place. Euphy getting shot wouldn't have happened if he said something else, now thinking about it he could only facepalm on what he said. 'Kill all the Japanese… I could have said, stand on one leg or twirl around like an idiot… nope, I guess I'm an idiot in a way.' He thought as he sighed to himself.

"Zero, do you mind if we talk in private?" Kallen asked, immediately pulling him back to reality.

Turning his head to face the brunette, he wondered what was on her mind. "Very well. Euphemia, I'll be in my office." He informed as he walked out of the room, with Kallen following behind.

 _ **Black Knights Main Base of Operations – Zero's Office**_

Once he was back in his office, he turned his attention to the woman who stood in the same room as him. "Now, what do you wish to talk about?" he asked.

Kallen knew that this might raise suspicions, but she had to ask him. It's been on her mind all day now since they left Mt Fuji. "Zero… Just who is Princess Euphemia to you?" she asked, curious.

"She's an ally to the Japanese people and myself, nothing more." He answered immediately not showing any hesitation. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, he didn't want to raise suspicions on the fact that he's a Britannian prince.

Kallen knew that was a lie. Zero showed no emotions, so why was he so upset when he answered the radio call? "That's a lie, isn't it?" she accused, knowing the risks.

"What do you mean by that?"

"When you answered your radio, you sounded like you were about to cry, you rescued her didn't you? So, I'll ask again. Just who is she to you?" she went on, hoping to get her answers.

Lelouch remained quiet, he didn't know what to say, and he couldn't tell her who he was. Euphemia was his first love and his sister, that's why he saved her. It was out of the love and the guilt he felt for cursing her with that command; he didn't want her to die like that.

"Zero… are you…? So, you are a man behind that mask, someone with feelings and a heart. She must be someone special to you then…" she finished, looking down a little in disappointment. "Tell me something, who are we to you? We're not just pawns, are we? The Black Knights I mean."

At first, Lelouch thought of the Black Knights as his army and his servants, but thinking about it, they made him happy in a way. He couldn't think of them as pawns, but they're like family to him. "Don't tell anyone this but, no. The Black Knights to me are like family; each one of them has their special place here; we all eat, sleep and fight together." He admitted, hoping she'd keep it to herself after all everyone looked at him as a heartless leader, who cares about nothing than the results.

Kallen smiled upon hearing that, but the look of disappointment remained on her face. "Zero… just who am I to you then?" she wondered, blushing a little.

'So, that explains a lot. She either likes me or has feelings for me; however, I should stay professional about it. But I also want to tell her that I see her as a woman… I don't know… damn it' he thought, biting his lip a little. "I… think of you as a kind and woman…" He said, yelling at himself at the gears he'd set in motion.

She lit up in a bright blush, breaking eye contact as well. "I-I… I'm thankful! Thank you… Um, I should go!" she said exiting the room quickly. She didn't know what to say next, was that Zero? If so, then she's seen a side of him that usually, no one sees.

Lelouch wanted to hit his head against the wall and go to bed or something. His heart was racing as he said that, he was supposed to let her down quickly, but instead he blurted out the most stupid thing he could say.

"CC I know you're there; you can come out now." Lelouch snapped as he noticed the door to the private bathroom move a little.

CC walked out of the room with a mischief smile smeared across her face. "Lelouch, you know. Playing with a maiden's heart could result in your demise." CC commented as she made her way to the couch.

She wasn't wrong. Lelouch knew that, but right now he had to think about what he'd do next. "CC this isn't time for your jokes." He shot at her. He was just embarrassed too.

She laughed a little; he was acting cute in a way. "You know, I never thought of you like the bold type of guy. But now you've just won over another girl's heart. You're working out to be quite the player, Lelouch." She laughed putting some emphasis on his name at the end, making the boy flush red behind his mask.

Sighing to himself a little he removed the mask and remotely locked the door. "You know there's plenty of important things I have to sort out. CC, do you have any news from Diethard? Since Cornelia would be occupied with Suzaku, we could use this opportunity to cripple the imperial army." Lelouch explained, hoping to get some insight from his accomplice.

"It's too early to be planning anything, but you are right. Cornelia and Suzaku won't intervene on our operations if we do something in the immediate future. I'd suggest crippling the development of Lancelot and intercept the scientists working on the Lancelot project too." CC suggested, however, Lelouch didn't know what to think of it.

It sounded interesting, crippling the Lancelot, it was the only reason why he was having so much trouble with, Suzaku would always intervene and jeopardize his operation. "An interesting proposal, however, we don't have any idea on where their main base of operations is, and we can't exactly follow Suzaku's lead too. I'm thinking of an assassination or rescue mission." Lelouch stated, wondering if that would be the best plan of attack.

"Why not bring Cornelia onto our side? You have Geass don't you, why not bend her will to your suited needs?" CC asked, wondering why he never seemed to bend the will of anyone in the Black knights with his geass.

Lelouch knew she'd ask that one day. "It's simple CC; it's not my place to decide the loyalty of one to serve my needs. Everyone has their rights CC; I'm not some monster." Lelouch explained.

"Oh? You're quite the kind person Lelouch; I don't think I've ever met anyone like you. You're turning out to be a quite interesting person." CC commented.

"I wouldn't know about that, but you're right on one thing. It's too early to be making battle plans, I'll take the next few days to resupply at our land base in Tokyo, and I'll figure something out later." he sighed and closed the laptop before him. In his mind now would be the perfect time to reflect and rest.

 _ **Five days later… Ashford Academy – Home**_

After Lelouch had introduced Euphemia to the black knights, he decided that he would return to the academy to fix his attendance. The people around the school were starting to realize that he had gone missing after the SAZ incident and that everyone was worried.

No one knew that he was a prince of the royal empire, but still, it caused some concern for many students who knew Lelouch. Getting back to the school proved to be a chore, it was hard to convince Euphemia that he would be leaving for a few days to return to the school. She wanted to accompany him back too but of course, it would be too risky, and it would only cause more headaches.

After all, the curse that he gave her was still active within her; it was just merely being suppressed by CC somehow. 'I have to fix this soon, but… I hope that she's okay…' The black-haired boy thought as he thought about his half-sister and CC. But things could be worse, like if he couldn't control his power anymore, but contact lens blocked the ability of geass, well CC said so anyway.

It would probably be best to go back inside and say hi to Nunnally, it was already nearly nine in the night, and he didn't want it to be too late. Although he knew what was on her mind and that he couldn't tell her the truth, oh well here goes nothing. Walking through the door and into the living room of where both Nunnally and Sayoko were, Lelouch smiled as the two came into view.

"Hello, I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm back for now." Lelouch greeted, but he could sense the depressing aura coming off his sister.

"Lelouch… have you heard?"

He assumed that she was talking about Suzaku. "Of course, the media is mistaken, Suzaku would never do such a thing." He assured.

His disabled sister looked down and more depressed. "No, it's not that, sister Euphemia was murdered, wasn't she? It isn't true, is it?" she asked.

Kneeling by his younger sister, he took her hand and squeezed it in both sides. "Of course, not. I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding or just some hoax." He said, hoping it would drop the topic.

"Well… If you say so…" she said, of course not entirely convinced.

"We both should go to bed soon, it's getting quite late, isn't it?" the prince suggested, he wasn't planning on leaving tomorrow so he would have all tomorrow to spend with his little sister. He realized that she still had a depressed look on her. "Hey cheer up, don't worry I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon."

"Really? You've been going out a lot I've noticed. Have you finally found yourself someone special?" the girl asked, making Lelouch blush at the topic a little.

He didn't want to think of Euphemia as someone he'd think of in that way and Kallen, well… things were complicated there. "I don't think so sis; your older brother is still single sadly." He announced.

His little sister chuckled a little. "I thought so, do you have someone you like?" she was still pressing the topic on him, and he didn't want to continue amongst it.

"There's no one, well no one yet… time will come I suppose."

"Oh, okay but if there's anyone in the future, you have to introduce me to them," Nunnally concluded.

Lelouch didn't want to say anything, but he guesses a promise little promise with his sister. "I promise, don't worry little sis." He clarified, hoping it would drop the topic.

 _ **Black Knights Main Base of Operations – Zero's Office**_

Back at base, things were going along fine, but Euphemia still got looks from everyone. At first, things were slowly getting better, but Tamaki and some of the black knights even didn't accept her as a black knight.

Sighing to herself as she walked back into Zero's office after having a shower, she was surprised at who was waiting for her return. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

It was Kallen, the pilot of the Guren and she was sitting on the couch across from CC. However, the yellow-haired girl didn't particularly pay any attention to the two, so they acted as if she were never there.

Getting up off the couch, she turned her attention to the princess before her. "Princess I have a question for you…" she said. However, it only earned her a sour look from the woman she was talking to.

Euphemia was fed up with being called a princess when she's not anymore. Sighing in annoyance, she corrected her. "I'm not a princess anymore; you can just call me Euphemia." The pink haired girl said slightly irritated.

"Oh… right, Euphemia, um I wanted to know what's your opinion on Zero?" She was still curious about what she talked about with Zero; she wanted to know what's the relationship between Euphemia wand Zero was.

Euphemia thought it was strange for Kallen to ask such a question, but it shouldn't be too surprising. They were both on the island before, and she knew that there was a unique relationship between her and Lelouch. "Why do you ask?" she wondered.

"Well… I want to know what you think about him; it's obvious that he favors you in a way. I just wanted to know why I'm interested that's all."

Euphemia wondered if she should tell her. "Well, yes we are slightly close, but we're more friends than anything else. I've known him for quite a while." She mentioned.

"Like before he became Zero?"

Not paying attention to what she said, Euphemia accidentally blurted out something she wasn't supposed to. "Yeah, we grew up together…" she carelessly announced, utterly unaware of what she had just said.

"Wait… What…?"

 _ **Next morning, Government Bureau – Holding Cells.**_

Suzaku sat there confined to his cell, reflecting on what had happened. Zero must have done something to him; there's no way that he'd murder the woman he loved. That man had to have something to do with the assassination with Euphemia. However, he had heard what had happened to her body by overhearing a few guards. It wasn't there; it was as if it vanished and no one had any memory of it too.

"Suzaku Kururugi, do you wish for power?" a boy asked, out of nowhere.

Looking up, he saw a child in unique clothing; he looked strange too. "What do you mean…?" he said, wondering what he was proposing.

"Do you long for the power to change the world?" he offered once again.

Blinking a few times to ensure he didn't see things, he soon realized that things were still real, the pain in his mouth and his body were still all there. "To change the world… how am I supposed to change the world if I am like this…? I murdered the woman I loved and the man I call my father…" he remarked, thinking of what a disgrace he was.

"You are wrong; you are cursed and that woman you speak of still breaths. I will ask once again; do you wish for the power to change the world?"

He needed to know more answers if what he said was true than Euphemia was alive and what does he mean that he's cursed? "What do you mean by that? How am I cursed?" Suzaku asked, curiously.

"The power of Geass lingers inside you. You're being forced to live on, even if you don't want to. The woman you speak of, she is alive, and the person who saved her is the very person who cursed you." The boy explained.

'Geass? What the hell I that? What does he mean by Euphy was saved by the person who cursed me? Is he talking about Zero?' Suzaku wondered. "What is this Geass you talk about?" he asked, confused.

"You're a man full of questions… fine, I'll answer them. Geass is the power your enemy possesses; I'm talking about Zero. He has the power to command any man, woman or child to do anything he pleases. I see that he's cursed you with the command to live, even if you wish to commit suicide, you can't, when faced with the dangers of life and death situations you will always try your best to live even in dire situations. Does it make sense now?"

It was a lot to take in; it all sounded outlandish and absurd. However, it had some grounding to it. How was Zero able to do such feats? It wouldn't be possible with reasonable means, so it was plausible in Suzaku's eyes. "I see, however it's hard to believe but your maybe right. His victories are… questionable. But why are you telling me this? Why offer me power?" Suzaku asked.

"I sense a strong desire from you, so I'm offering you the power in exchange you make my one wish come true." the child explained. "So, I'll ask you once again, do you wish for the power to change the world?" he offered.

"I…"

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I rewrote this chapter five times. I wasn't happy about the pacing of the story and how it progressed too quickly. I hope this is enough to satisfy the wait for it and err… I hope you all enjoy it and well… tell me what you think, if you want.

And Yes, this is where things take a different route and well I hope it's exciting. Oh well, I have an idea where I'm going to take the next few chapters, I spent days planning the story table and plot line, so hopefully, I'll have the next chapter out by next week. Thank you for following the progress of this story again.


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